


A Lost Rose

by RavenclawWitch18



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe RPF
Genre: Abuse is not graphic or detailed, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cinderella AU, Cinderella Elements, F/M, Ginny is not Ginny Weasley, King!Chris, M/M, Neither is Frank, Or Max, Robert is not a nice person, Sebastian has a low opinion of himself, Servant!Sebastian, minor Stucky relationship - Freeform, minor abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2017-05-06
Packaged: 2018-09-08 04:43:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8830864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenclawWitch18/pseuds/RavenclawWitch18
Summary: Chris Evans is the king of the Western Kingdom. His nobles have been pressing for him to get married, the sooner the better. His cousin and best friend Ivy suggests that they hold a ball for their joint birthday to give him the opportunity to meet people. Sebastian Stan is a servant of the prominent Redford family along with his mother. When the news of the ball makes its way around the village, Sebastian initially dismisses it. However, when his mother learns of the ball and fairy godmother shows up, Sebastian reconsiders and decides it might be a good opportunity to find work with a different family. At the ball, he ends up dancing with Chris. The two of them hit it off but before Sebastian can tell Chris his name, the clock strikes midnight. Sebastian flees before the magic can wear off and expose his true image to Chris. Will Chris be able to track him down and convince him to give their relationship a try?





	1. Chapter 1

Chris sighed in frustration as he entered his room. What had started off as a fairly normal morning had quickly taken a turn towards stressful. He tossed his jacket in the direction of a nearby chair, not caring when it missed by a few inches.

“Problems dear cousin? A voice asked.

Chris followed the voice and wasn’t the least bit surprised when he found his cousin Ivy sitting in a chair by the window. She was wearing one of her casual dresses, this one green. Her legs were tucked up underneath her and a book was balanced on the arm of the chair closest to the window.

“You know, I’m pretty sure you have your own room.”

“I do.” Ivy agreed. “But your room is where all of the interesting stuff happens, my king.”

Chris conceded that with a huff. He sat down heavily in the chair across from Ivy, who set aside her book. She stared intently at her cousin who squirmed under her piercing blue-grey gaze, similar to his own. Finally, Ivy let out a quiet sigh and settled back in her chair.

“Who was it today?”

“Lord Bern and Lord Berkley.” Ivy winced. “They keep throwing their daughters at me. They seem to be under the impression that forcing me to spend time with their daughters will make me suddenly choose one of them. Never mind that they have half a brain between them.”

“Christopher! That’s not a very kingly thing to say.” Ivy said, sounding scandalized. Her eyes betrayed her laughter though.

“It’s true though.”

“Just don’t let anyone catch you saying that. Or we’ll have more problems than you refusing to marry. Problems I’m not sure I can solve.”

“So what problems do you have a solution for this time?” Chris asked curiously.

“I may have a solution to the marriage problem. Though it’s a little bit different.”

Chris snorted. Most of Ivy’s ideas were ‘a little bit different. She had quickly become known for her different ideas when they were kids. It had gotten to the point where visiting royal children had asked if she had done this or that. “At this point I’m willing to do anything.”

“We have a ball.”

Chris frowned. That wasn’t anything like he had been expecting. In fact, he had half been expecting some sort of crazy idea that would result in none of the nobles speaking to them for a year. Or at the very least would have his advisor Sam banging his head off a table in frustration.

“That’s not unusual. Balls have been held before to find a wife for the king.”

“Exactly.” Ivy said.

Chris gave a quiet sigh. It had been a long day. Dealing with the Lords and their daughters took a lot of energy and he constantly had to check himself so he didn’t say something offensive. After dealing with that he didn’t have the energy to decipher his cousin’s cryptic comments.

“I’m not following.”

Ivy smoothed out an invisible wrinkle in her summer green dress. Chris recognized that tactic. Ivy was stalling because she was worried that he wouldn’t go along with her idea. He had seen it maybe twice before. The first time Ivy had come up with her first risky but potentially worth it idea. The second time they don’t speak about. Ever.

“Balls have been held to find a wife for the king. But you and I both know that while you don’t mind women, you prefer men.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. If this was going where he thought it was then it was no wonder that Ivy was worried.

“So you’re saying we should hold a ball to find me a husband?” He asked.

“Not exactly.” Ivy said, shifting to a more comfortable position in her chair. “We should hold a ball to find you a husband or a wife. The nobles will be more likely to go along with it if they think they still have a chance, just not with their daughters.”

“Is that all?” Chris asked, eyes wide. This was definitely going where he thought it was. He was kind of excited though.

Ivy shrugged. “Instead of just inviting those from the noble families, we invite every eligible young man and woman.”

Chris stared at his cousin incredulously. Leave it to Ivy to come up with something like this. What she was proposing was unheard of and quite possibly against the law. Ivy had proposed a lot of risky ideas over the years but never one that was against the law. Just when he thought he had his cousin figured out and could anticipate where her ideas were going, she managed to surprise him. Every single time.

Chris ran a hand through his already messy hair.

“Isn’t that against the law?” He finally asked.

The look Ivy gave him would cower lesser men. The only reason he wasn’t faltering under that look was because he knew that Ivy would never intentionally do something that would hurt him.  
“You know me better than that. I will admit to having some questionable ideas in the past but I have never suggested anything that was against the law.”

Chris gave a sigh of relief.

“I know. I had to be sure though.”

Ivy relaxed at the admission.

“I checked the laws. There is no law against inviting all eligible young men and women to the ball. There’s also no law against the king marrying a man so long as there is someone in the royal family who can provide an heir to the throne. Which is where I come in. Anthony and I have talked and neither of us has an objection to that. With our birthday being in a few months, no one will be surprised if we throw a ball to celebrate. So it’s up to you.”

Chris sat back in his chair and considered it. This really did seem like the ideal solution. A ball would give him a chance to meet people who were not from a noble family. He had met everyone from those families during his short twenty-four years. None of them, guy or girl, had captured his attention. Maybe his future king or queen was part of the merchant class and they just hadn’t met yet. Chris would be the first to admit that he didn’t get to spend much time down in the village interacting with his subjects. A ball would give them a chance to do so.

“You’ll plan everything?” He checked.

Ivy scoffed. “As if anyone would let you plan it.”

Chris pretended to be offended. “I can plan things.”

“Sure you can.” Ivy agreed. “Practice drills and military strategies. A ball on the other hand, is way out of your depth.”

“Fine. Just don’t go completely overboard. I really don’t want to be stuck attending some fancy, formal affair where people are afraid to talk to me because they’re worried they’ll say the wrong thing. That won’t help me get to know anyone and it will make those from the merchant class feel uncomfortable.

“Fine.” She stood up. “Now, I must be going. I need to make a list of things to be done and get started.”

She swept out of the room, leaving behind her book. Chris stared after her, fearing for the people who were about to encounter his cousin. There were few things more frightening than Ivy on a mission.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a look at life for Sebastian.

Sebastian woke well before the sun rose, earlier than he normally did. He stumbled around blindly for a moment until he got his bearings and found his clothes draped on the only chair in the room. His clothes had managed to absorb some heat from the banked fire.

Once he was dressed, he crept out of the room so as not to wake his mother who needed as much rest as she could get. Though he needn’t have bothered. His mother always slept soundly and nothing short of vigorous shaking would wake her. Not even if he jumped up and down on the squeaky board right next to their bed.

Downstairs, he started the fires in the dining room and kitchen before going out to tend to the animals. When he came back in, the kitchen fire was blazing along happily and greeted him with a loud crackle. He took a moment to warm his frozen hands before getting started on breakfast. By the time the sun had fully risen, Sebastian had breakfast cooked, fed his dog, and made a list of things to pick up at the market.

The Redfords made their way to the dining room ten minutes after the sun had fully risen. Sebastian entered with the breakfast cart before they got too settled and served them in silence. Years of experience and many painful reminders had taught him not to speak unless spoken to first or unless it was extremely important. Once the food was served, he backed away and stood with his back to the wall behind Master Redford.

It was a half hour before all of them were done with breakfast. Master Redford was the first to leave, having business to attend to. Master Frank left next, heading out back to work on his swordsmanship. His instructor was due the next day to test him on all of the things he had learned over the last few months. If Master Frank passed this test, his instructor would give him a formal recommendation for the King’s guard. Master Max was the last to leave. He would join his father later to learn more about the family business. Until then, he would probably laze around in his room.

As soon as the door had closed behind Master Max, Sebastian hurried forward to clear the table and take the dirty dishes through to the kitchen. He washed them as quickly as he could while also making sure that each dish was sparkling clean. That had been another painful lesson when he was younger. Once that was done, he set off for town and the market, making sure to grab his basket for the items he would need before the delivery came that night.

Town was a fifteen minute walk away but Sebastian didn’t mind the walk, even in the cold. It was the only time he was truly alone and as such, the only time he allowed himself to relax. Today, he let himself fall into his favorite daydream about what life would be like if he wasn’t a servant. He would probably own a farm. Not a large one, but one that was big enough to support both him and his mother. He knew enough about gardening that he should be able to make a decent go of it. He would also have a few chickens and a cow so he could have fresh eggs and milk every day. His mother would be able to go outside, sit in the warm sunshine, and get fresh air. They’d also be able to have a doctor out whenever she was ill.

A gentle breeze brushed against his face, reminding him not to spend too long in his fantasy. It reminded him that it didn’t do to dwell on things that were never going to come true. He gave a quiet sigh. The breeze was right. He was a servant and he would always be one. The price Master Redford had set for buying his freedom was high, as was to be expected. The price for his mother was slightly lower due to her illness. But as Sebastian had very little opportunity to earn his own money, it would take him his whole life to save enough money just to buy his mother’s freedom.

Within due time, Sebastian arrived at the village. The market was located close to the center of the village, just off to the east of the village square. It was a lot more crowded than it usually was. Sebastian was careful as he made his way from stall to stall, so as not to bump into anyone. The last thing he needed was for someone to report him to Master Redford. The punishment he would receive for being late was nothing compared to the punishment he would receive if somebody made a complaint about him.

It wasn’t until he was at the fruit stall that he learned why there were so many people at the market today.

“Have you heard the news?” Ginny asked as he pursued the apples.

“What news?” Sebastian asked, picking up an apple to examine it for bruises.

“The king and his cousin are hosting a ball for their birthday.”

Sebastian hummed in response. A ball was interesting but not important. There were other things that were more important.

“They’re inviting everyone.” Ginny said, disappointed by his lack of a response. “Not just the nobles.”

That got Sebastian’s attention. Previously, balls and other important events held by the royals were only open to the nobles and a few select families who had managed to earn their favor. If this ball was open to everyone, then it was likely something that his master would be interested in.

“What’s the ball for?”

Ginny leaned in close like she was sharing an important secret. “The King is looking for a partner. He doesn’t care if it is a guy or a girl.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened at that. Partly because of what he had just learned and partly because of the importance of the information. It was unusual for the King to be looking for either a husband or a wife. Sebastian didn’t judge though. He himself preferred men over women. With the ball being open to everyone though and a potential marriage on the line, Sebastian had no doubt that Master Redford would certainly be interested in this.

Ginny noticed his interest and smiled. “If you want to go, you have to get an invitation from the guards. All eligible young men and women must have an invitation in order to get into the ball.”

“Where are the guards?” Sebastian asked.

“They’re set up at the other end of the marketplace. The end closest to the castle.”

Sebastian gave her a smile of thanks before picking out his apples. A dozen of them went into his basket and the rest would be delivered later.

Done ordering everything he would need for the next week, Sebastian made his way through the crowd to the far end of the market. There were different stalls set up here. Merchants from out of town who sold goods other than food, such as silks and precious gems rented a stall here. There were some food stalls here, but most of them sold foods that were not common to this area. They were so expensive that only the rich could afford them. Usually it was people from the castle or from one of the noble’s houses. Sebastian was quickly distracted by all of the goods offered for sale and by the people browsing the stalls. He rarely had a reason to venture down to this part of the market since everything he needed was sold at the other end.

Eventually Sebastian found where the guards were stationed. There was a small line of people in front of them but it wasn’t as long as he expected. Then again, the sun had already been up for a few hours by this point. Most people had probably gotten here shortly after the sun had risen and received their invitations then.

Sebastian got in line and quickly found himself moving towards the front.

“Household name?” A female guard asked.

“Redford.” Sebastian answered.

“Names of the eligible?”

“Frank Redford and Max Redford.”

The guard nodded as she wrote the information down. There was a small part of Sebastian that wanted to add his name but he quickly dismissed it. He might technically be eligible, but he had no chance of the prince even considering him. He was only a servant. Servants had no place at a royal ball, especially a marriage ball.

The female guard finished writing the information down while the male guard standing behind her reached into a box and pulled out two elegant invitations. Sebastian took them and carefully tucked them into his basked. His life would be worthless if he returned home without the invitations and Master Redford found out that he had been at the market at the same time the guards had been handing out invitations to a marriage ball.

It was almost midday by the time Sebastian returned to the manor. Sebastian entered through the kitchen door and set his basket down on the counter. He was in the middle of putting things away in the pantry when he was interrupted.

“You’re late.”

Sebastian froze, head immediately bowing. He slowly turned until he could see Master Redford’s shoes.

“I’m sorry, sir.” He said softly.

“You better have a reason.” The unspoken _or else_ hung in the air like the threat it was.

Sebastian reached into his basket and pulled out the invitations.

“The Royal guard was at the marketplace. The king and his cousin are throwing a marriage ball and everyone who is eligible for marriage is invited. I got invitations for Master Frank and Master Max.” Sebastian said, holding out the invitations.

Master Redford stood there for a moment before taking the invitations. He read the top one. The information on the invitation confirmed what the servant had said. The King and his cousin were throwing a marriage ball to celebrate their birthday and everyone was invited. The royal seal at the bottom of the invitation was the final proof. As much as he hated to admit it, the servant had done well in obtaining the invitations for his sons. This was his ticket to a better life. If he could get one of his sons married to the king and the other married to his cousin, he would live in comfort for the rest of his life and have a favorable position advising the king. It didn’t phase him that the King was considering a husband as well as a wife. So long as it benefited him, he would keep his mouth shut.

“Very well. You may return to your duties.” Master Redford dismissed.

Sebastian didn’t relax until Master Redford had left the kitchen. Only then did he give a sigh of relief. He had been certain that he was doing the right thing when he delayed returning home to obtain the invitations but there was a voice in the back of his mind that worried he had done the wrong thing. Secure in the knowledge that, for the moment at least, he was safe from punishment, Sebastian returned to his chores. He would have a lot more of them coming up in the near future and the more of them he could get done now, the less stressed he would be later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to post this earlier this week but I came down sick on Tuesday and am only just now getting over the last of it. And I had to help tutor my brother for his finals which are this week. 
> 
> This chapter takes place about a month and a half after chapter 1. I'm going to go back and post a rough date estimate on Chapter 1 just as soon as I get this up. This chapter takes place in the middle of May. We have about a month until the ball. 
> 
> This chapter is different from last chapter. I did that deliberately.
> 
> Also, note the updated chapter count. I decided to split chapter three into two parts. The more I thought about my outline, the more I realized that I had two different things going on at two different, yet similar points in time. So I thought it would be better off split into two parts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a lot to be done at the royal palace on the day of the ball.

Chris was woken on the morning of his birthday by something heavy landing on top of him. He huffed out a breath of surprise and tried to sit up to no avail. The heavy thing on him refused to let him sit up.

“Ivy, for the love of all that is holy, get off of me.” He said.

There was a moment in which Chris wasn’t sure that his cousin would listen. Then, with what sounded like a grumble, Ivy rolled to the side. Chris sucked in a deep breath as soon as he could and opened his eyes. Ivy was sitting cross legged on the end of his bed, right next to his legs. She had the look of someone who had been awake for too long and was bursting with energy.

“Happy Birthday, little cousin.” She chirped.

“I’m not little. I’ve got a good six inches on you.” Chris pointed out, shifting until he was sitting.

Ivy rolled her eyes. “Fine. Baby cousin.”

“I’m not your baby cousin.  
”  
“I’m older than you.”

“By ten minutes.” Chris protests. “And since it’s my birthday, shouldn’t I get to sleep in.

Ivy huffed. “I let you sleep in. The sun’s been up for over an hour now. Besides, we have a lot to do today before the ball. So you need to get up and get moving. Breakfast is waiting in the parlor. I expect you in my room in exactly a half hour.”

With that, Ivy was up and out of the room. Chris stared after her as her dress disappeared around his door. Once he was sure she was gone, Chris flopped back on his bed and let out a loud groan. He had forgotten that along with it being his birthday, it was the day of the ball. Chris hated any type of social event that forced him to play nice and pretend to be someone he wasn’t. It didn’t help that there was a lot riding on this ball. Everyone would be watching him to see who he interacted with and how. They would be waiting for him to show the slightest sign of interest beyond the normal politeness and then pounce on him. It was only a minor consolation that Ivy had invited those who were not from the noble class and men as well as women.

Thankfully Ivy had planned this ball so it wouldn’t be too over the top. She had used the excuse of it being her birthday as well to plan the entire thing. Chris could only thank the gods that no one dared to tell his cousin what to do.

Forcing himself out of bed, Chris made his way to his parlor. Just as Ivy had said, there was a hot breakfast waiting for him. Blueberry pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and coffee. Chris had to smile at that. Ivy obviously wanted to soften him up by ordering his favorite breakfast. Usually for their birthday, the two of them would make breakfast together in the kitchen. It was a tradition they had started when they were young. Chris had wanted pancakes for breakfast on his birthday instead of his usual oatmeal. Ivy had the idea that they should sneak into the kitchen early in the morning and make the pancakes themselves. They had ended up burning the pancakes but they continued the tradition every year.

After breakfast, Chris dressed himself in the bare minimum, knowing that he would be changing clothes a few times today and not wanting to have to take off more than was absolutely necessary. He made his way down the hall to Ivy’s wing and found her waiting impatiently in her parlor.

“It’s about time you showed up. What took you so long?” She demanded.

“You know I don’t move quickly in the morning. Especially when I first wake up.” Chris said.

Ivy huffed, calming down slightly. “Yes, I know. How you manage to function during your morning meetings, I’ll never know.

“But that’s not important. We have a lot to get done today and a short time in which to do it.”

She pushed Chris out the door and down the hall in the opposite direction of his room.

“Where are we going?” Chris asked, trying not to lose his balance.

“To see Lucy. She has some last minute things she wants to check before she declares our outfits ready for tonight.”

Chris barely managed to stifle his groan. He had been right in thinking that there would one more fitting before the ball. He could only hope that Lucy wouldn’t keep them long. She probably wouldn’t. Ivy had been very careful to make sure to schedule enough time for their fittings in the last few months. And Lucy was good enough that she only needed them for a short amount of time each fitting.

Thankfully, they didn’t spend too long with Lucy. They were there long enough to try on their outfits for tonight, make sure everything fit properly, and that nothing was wrong. Chris had something sharp poking his left arm which was revealed to be a lost pin. Once it was removed, Lucy gave them a quick once over before pronouncing herself satisfied.

As soon as they were back in their regular clothes, Ivy dragged Chris off to the kitchens to make sure everything was on track for tonight. From there it was off to a meeting with Councilman Jackson about who was attending the ball.

Chris wasn’t sure why he was being dragged along. Apart from the final fitting this morning, he wasn’t really needed. They asked his opinion on a few things but Ivy had everything in hand. He asked about it as they ate lunch.

“It’s because of the nobles.” Ivy said at last.

Chris frowned. “The nobles? What do they have to do with this?”

“In case you’ve forgotten, this is a marriage ball. For you, not me. Most of the people coming tonight are coming in hopes of catching your attention and maybe winning your favor. Everyone wants to marry the king. Therefore you need to show some interest in the ball. Otherwise the nobles will be suspicious. And if the nobles are suspicious, you can kiss goodbye any chance of interacting with someone who is not one of their children.”

Chris made a face at that. If he had to spend the entire night only interacting with the noble’s children, he would snap.

Ivy saw the look on his face and patted his hand.

“Relax. The nobles don’t suspect anything. As far as they are concerned, you made the big decisions but left most of the planning and decision making to me.”

Chris did relax at that even if it wasn’t true. He had agreed to have the ball and to have it on his birthday but that was it. Everything else was Ivy’s decision.

“Do we have a lot left to do?”

Ivy shook her head. “All we have left is to check with the musicians. Then we can go back to our rooms and get ready for tonight.”

“I don’t take long to get ready.” Chris complained.

“You might not need long to get ready, but I do.”

Chris had to concede that. Personally, he thought Ivy looked fine but he knew better than to suggest that she take less time to get ready. Normally, Ivy wasn’t one for caring how she looked. This was a woman who had once shown up to a council meeting wearing clothes that had so much mud on them it was impossible to tell what color they were originally. But balls were the exception to the rules.  
“Fine. Let’s get moving then. I want to get this over with.”

Ivy merely smiled in response as she stood up. Chris followed after her as she swept out of the room and down the hall. The musicians were in the courtyard, running through the songs for the night. Ivy conversed with the director for a few minutes before nodding and walking back over to Chris who had been leaning against a tree attempting to look interested.  
“Everything is on schedule. All that’s left is to get ready and then attend the ball.”

“Good.” Chris said. He didn’t want to think what would happen if everything wasn’t on schedule. Ivy could be rather terrifying when things were not going the way they were supposed to.  
The walk back to their rooms was more relaxed than when they had left this morning. They were in a hurry to meet with everybody and make sure that things were on schedule. Now they had a few hours to themselves before the ball started at eight.

After dropping Ivy off at her room, Chris continued onto his. Since he didn’t have anything to do to get ready besides put on his tux, he would actually get to relax. Despite his façade of disinterest towards the ball, Chris was both nervous and worried. He was nervous about meeting all of the eligible young men and women. Chris never did like being on display in front of everyone and tonight every eye in the kingdom would be on him. At the same time, he was worried that he wouldn’t find someone that he was interested in getting to know better. He didn’t know what would happen if he didn’t find someone to court. He was sure that the nobles would have something to say about it.

When Chris opened the door to his room, he saw his tux already laid out over a chair. Ivy had insisted on a dark blue that she claimed brought out the color of his eyes and Lucy agreed. Lucy had sent someone to deliver it, or more likely dropped it off herself. The seamstress was oddly picky about who handled the clothes she created.

Chris sat down on his bed and before he knew it he had fallen asleep. He woke hours later to the sound of knocking on the door. Sitting up, Chris noticed that the light coming in through his window had that soft glow that indicated sunset.

“Chris, Ivy says to get up and get ready. She expects you in her room in a half hour and not a minute later.” Anthony called through the door.

“What makes her think I was sleeping?” Chris called back.

“It’s Ivy. I’m pretty sure she knows what everyone is doing at all times.” Anthony answer.

Chris had to give him that.

“Fine. Tell her I’ll be there in a half hour.”

“Got it.”

Footsteps receding announced Anthony leaving to report back to Ivy.

Chris got up and began the process of putting on his tux. Despite having had to dress up for different events in the past, Chris still had trouble putting on tuxes. Most events only required him to have a suit. This was the most formal he had dressed since he’s father’s funeral and his coronation.

Chris managed to put on all of his tux except for his tie.

It was almost time to meet Ivy so Chris headed for her room, making sure to take the tie with him. He knocked on Ivy’s door and it was immediately opened by Anthony.

“Tie.” Ivy called out before he had a chance to enter the room.

Chris held out the tie as he entered. Ivy walked over, took it from him and looped it around his neck.

“What’s on your mind Chris?”

Chris bit his lip and stared at his cousin’s dress as he thought about how to phrase his answer. It was the first time he had seen Ivy’s dress. She had been very secretive about it these last few months, not wanting anyone to catch even a glimpse of it. It started off as form fitting at the top before flowing out at her waist into a skirt. The color was a very light blue, almost white at the top, darkening in color the farther down it went until it was a sharp blue color. It gave the impression of water moving every time Ivy shifted. Ivy finished tying his tie and began running a comb through his hair as he thought.  
“What if I don’t find someone tonight? Someone I’m interested in courting?”

“Don’t go to the ball looking for someone to court. Instead, look for someone you’re interested in getting to know as a friend. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen from there.”

Chris looked at her in confusion and Ivy gave him a small smile.

“If you recall, I spent the first year and a half after I met Anthony thinking he was the grossest thing in the kingdom. Then we got older and I decided he was worth getting to know as a friend. From there, we continued to be friends until one day I realized that what I felt for him went beyond friendship.”

Chris took some comfort in that knowledge. Ivy and Anthony had gone from avoiding each other at all costs, to friends, and now to lovers who had been together for two years. If they could do that, then Chris could find someone he was at least interested in being friends with.

“Thanks Ivy.” He said with a genuine smile.

Ivy returned the smile. “Anytime. Now, let’s get going. We have a ball to attend.”

Chris offered his arm and Ivy rolled her eyes as she accepted. Anthony opened the door for them and Chris escorted his cousin through the castle to the ballroom. There were guards waiting outside the door and more following behind. It was less than the number of guards outside the doors that the kingdom was entering through.

They had to wait a few minutes as apparently a few last minute arrivals were entering the ballroom. As soon as the guards received the signal, they pulled open the doors and Chris and Ivy entered. The herald announced their entrance.

“Presenting their royal highnesses, King Christopher Evans and the Princess Heir Ivy Evans.”

The cousins descended the stairs and made their way to the center of the ballroom. People were already lining up to present themselves. Of course, the noble families were at the head of the line. Lords Bern and Berkley’s children were at the very front of the line. Chris and Ivy pasted on their public smiles. The herald announced each person and they bowed or curtsied in greeting. The cousins returned the greeting. Some people tried to remain longer but the guards were good at moving them along.

As soon as the last person had been presented, Chris and Ivy took position for the first dance. The musicians struck up a tune and the main part of the ball began. Chris led Ivy around the dance floor, drawing everyone’s attention and making them jealous. Not many people knew just how well the royal cousins could dance.

When the first song was over, Ivy had a line of young men begging for the chance to dance with her. She chose a young man at random and allowed him to lead her back out to the dance floor. Chris had his own line of men and women fighting for his attention. He wasn’t picky about who he danced with. He just knew that he wasn’t dancing with one of the noble children for this second dance

The hours passed in a blur of swirling dresses and brief breaks to take a drink. Chris danced with as many people as he could, both men and women. The only thing he cared was that he danced with as many of the commoners as he could get away with. He already knew that his future partner was not part of the noble class. The few times he saw Ivy were always on the dance floor. It was during these times that he was able to fully appreciate her dress. Slow dances made it look as if waves were gently lapping at the shore. Faster dances made it appear as if the waves were crashing on the shore.

Around eleven, Chris was forced to take a break. He had been dancing nonstop for the last hour and a half and was starting to get very hot. He snagged one of the flutes of water from a passing servant as he made his way to the garden. Despite it being a warm summer evening, Chris still felt cooler as he emerged into the garden. A friendly breeze decided to be helpful and blew on his face to help him cool down. He followed it through the garden, admiring the flowers that were carefully planted alongside the path leading to the pond.

When he reached the pond, Chris was surprised to see someone sitting on a bench just ahead. Their build indicated that it was a man. The clothes told him that the person was likely a guest who had slipped away from the ball as well. While Ivy had made sure that the servants and anyone else who would be in the vicinity of the ball had nice clothes to wear tonight, no one had clothes as nice ones this young man was wearing.  
Making up his mind, Chris approached them, determined to at least be a good host and make sure this young man was alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? You didn't think they would get to meet yet, did you? Nope. That's not until next chapter.
> 
> Sorry this chapter took so long. It fought me every step of the way as I was writing it. It turned out to be longer than I thought it would be.
> 
> You know, when I first started writing this, I thought it would be four chapters at most. It has since doubled, which you will see if you look up at the chapter count. According to my updated outline as of this afternoon, next chapter will mark the halfway point. I do have pictures for Chris' tux and Ivy's dress which I will post on my Tumblr tomorrow. I'd do it tonight but it's late and since I didn't get much sleep last night and have to be up early for work tomorrow, I'm going to bed shortly after posting this chapter.
> 
> Edit: The pictures are up and can be found on my Tumblr. I'd post a link to the post but I have no idea how to do it. So if anyone knows and is willing to tell me, it would be much appreciated. I go by the same name on Tumblr as I do here.
> 
> Also, in case you were wondering, the ball takes place on June 13, which is Chris Evan's birthday. It is also Ivy's birthday in this story.
> 
> Comments make my day. Especially when I have to work long shifts. It seriously makes me smile when I check the notifications on my phone and see that I have an email containing a comment from a reader. Then I read them on my break and it leaves me happy for the rest of the day, minimum. Also, they motivate me to write faster.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian attends the ball.

The week leading up to the ball was busy for Sebastian. On top of his normal work, he was constantly making minor adjustments to Frank and Max’s tuxes. Despite Robert deciding that the ball was worth splurging on a tailor to have their tuxes made to fit perfectly, both brothers kept finding some minor problem and calling Sebastian to fix it.

As a result, by the time the day of the ball rolled around, Sebastian was both exhausted and relieved.

He woke extra early to have time to make a nice breakfast. Frank and Max were both convinced that the royal cousins would be choosing them tonight. So not just any breakfast would do. As if their Royal Highnesses would care what they ate for breakfast. He had breakfast ready by the time the family was up.

After breakfast, Sebastian went to draw baths for Frank and Max. He was careful to add appropriate herbs and oils. Gods forbid the brothers not smell exactly right. Thankfully they didn’t need him for anything after he made sure that warm towels and robes were left nearby. He went to start on lunch which would take longer than breakfast.

Once lunch was over, the brothers retired to their rooms to rest and Sebastian was free to tend to his normal chores. The first thing he did was take leftovers from lunch upstairs to his mother. He reminded her that she would be able to come downstairs tonight. She smiled at him and told him not to worry about her. To go out and do something for himself for once.

Then he went back down and got to work cleaning up the kitchen and tending to the animals. It took up most of his afternoon and by the time he was done, it was time to wake Frank and Max so they could get ready.

He knocked on Max’s door first.

“Master Max, it’s time to get up and get ready for the ball.” He called.

Sebastian waited until he could hear Max moving around before going to wake Frank. Once Frank was up, he went to check on Max and see if he needed help with anything. Max was fine but Frank demanded that Sebastian help him with his tie.

The carriage arrived just as Master Redford came down. Sebastian went out to meet it and make sure the driver knew to get there as quickly as possible. The family emerged a moment later and the footman jumped down to open the door for them. As soon as the three of them were in the carriage and the footman had resumed his place on the back, Sebastian nodded to the driver and the carriage took off. He waited until it was out of sight before hurrying inside and up to his room.

“Mama.” He said as he entered the room. “Would you like to come downstairs?”

His mother smiled at him. “That would be nice.”

Sebastian helped her up from the bed, put her arm around his shoulder and his arm around her waist. In this manner, they were able to make their way down the stairs to the living room.

Sebastian got his mother settled in an armchair by the window. She let out a quiet sigh as she sank into the comfort of the chair. The chair was much easier on her back than their bed was.

“Would you like some tea, mama?”

“Are you sure there’s enough?” She fretted.

“There enough.” He reassured her. “The merchant slipped me a little extra and told me to make a sup or two for myself.”

Reassured that they wouldn’t get in trouble, Sebastian’s mother nodded. He went into the kitchen and put the kettle on for the tea. While the water was boiling, he dug out the cookies he had made in secret. If there was one good thing about the Redford family, it was that they never came into the kitchen. Which allowed him the freedom to make little goodies in secret.

When the tea was ready, he loaded everything up on a tray and went back to the living room. He froze mid-step upon entering the room. There was a young woman sitting in the chair next to his mother. She spotted him and stood up.

“There you are Sebastian. I was wondering when you would come back.”

Sebastian carefully set the tray down on a nearby table before he dropped it.

“I’m sorry, who are you?”

“My name is Angie. I’m your fairy godmother.”

“Right. Any why are you here?”

“I’m here to help you go to the ball.”

“What if I don’t want to go? Sebastian asked a bit harshly.

For the last month, he had refused to let himself even imagine what it would be like if he went to the ball. It was too painful to think about. Thinking about it made hope flutter in his chest. Hope that he couldn’t afford to have.

“If you really don’t want to, then I won’t force you to go. But I want you to be honest with me. What’s the real reason you didn’t want to go to the ball?”

Sebastian chewed on his lip as he thought about his answer. His default answer was on the tip of his tongue, just waiting for his teeth to kindly let go of his lip.

“Because I don’t have a chance with them.” He blurted the moment his teeth obeyed.

Immediately he wanted to cover his face to hide from the embarrassment. He had never wanted anyone especially his mother to know that. The thick heavy drapes covering the window next to him called to him to come hide behind them. They promised they could hide him so well that no one would know he was there. Sebastian was seriously considering it when Angie spoke.

“What if I told you that you had a chance?”

Sebastian’s eyes darted to her in shock and out of the corner of his eye he could see the surprise on his mother’s face. Even the drapes were surprised.

“What?” He breathed.

Angie nodded. “If you go to the ball, you’ll have just as much of a chance as everybody else. More, perhaps, than some.”

“B…but I don’t have an invitation or anything to wear.” Sebastian stammered. The hope that he had tried so hard to squash was rearing its head.

“That’s what I’m here for. I can take care of both of those things. All you have to do is say the word. Sebastian’s teeth dug into his lip as he thought about it. He wanted to go to the ball. The only thing that stopped him was his status. While he knew logically that no one would be able to tell he was a servant part of him feared being found out and sent home in shame. But if Angie was telling the truth.

“You promise I have a chance?”

“I swear on my magic.” Angie said solemnly.

Sebastian slowly let go of the breath he hadn’t realized he had been holding.

“Alright.” He said.

Angie beamed but Sebastian was focused on the proud look his mother was giving him. He kept his eyes on her as Angie pulled her wand out of her sleeve and waved it at him. The magic buzzed around his clothes pleasantly, sounding like a content honey bee. When his mother gasped, Sebastian allowed himself to look down.

The magic had finished with his clothes and was concentrating on the left lapel of his jacket. When it faded away, there was a dog rose boutonniere pinned to his jacket.

“You look like your father.” His mother said.

Angie helpfully conjured a mirror so he could see. Sebastian studied his reflection. While he didn’t have any memories of his father, he had spent many hours looking at the few pictures his mother had of him. The blue of his suit brought out the color of his eyes while the cut drew attention to his lean figure in a flattering way. The magic had straightened his shoulder length hair so that it hung neatly around his face.

He looked like a less worn version of his father.

“I take it you approve?” Angie asked.

Sebastian nodded.

“Good.” The mirror vanished, forcing him to turn and pay attention to her. “Now, your carriage will be here in a few minutes. It will get you to the ball quickly, so you won’t have missed too much. Just the receiving line. The carriage will wait for you and I strongly advise that you leave by midnight. The magic will fade at midnight and everything will return to the way it was. Understand?”

Sebastian nodded again before going and kneeling in front of his mother.

“Will you be alright while I’m gone?” He asked.

His mother smiled. “I’ll be just fine, Sebastian. You go and have fun at the ball. Dance with a handsome young man or two. Then come home and tell your old mother about all the fun you had.”

They were interrupted by a soft clip-clopping as the carriage pulled up to the front door.

“That’ll be your carriage.” Angie said unnecessarily. She began to shoo him towards the door. “Go on. I’ll look after your mother. Make sure you remember what I said.”

With that, she pushed Sebastian out the door and shut it firmly behind him. Sebastian blinked a few times to adjust to the change from light to dark before he saw the carriage. There was a footman standing next to it, holding the door open. Taking a deep breath, Sebastian walked over and climbed in.

The ride to the castle passed in a blur. Sebastian spent the entire time focusing on his breathing so he didn’t hyperventilate. In what felt like a few minutes, the carriage had pulled up in front of the castle and the footman was opening the door.

He walked up the steps and was stopped by the guard. For a moment, he thought they wouldn’t let him in. But when he showed them his invitation and told them his name, they waved him in. A red-headed female guard escorted him to the ball room.

Inside, Sebastian found his breath taken by the elegance. It had always been said that the royal family had spared no expense in building the ballroom and standing inside, he could see that it was true. The marble floor was polished to a point that it looked brand new. The same was true of the lanterns on the wall and the chandeliers. Many beautiful stained glass windows were scattered throughout the room.

Opposite from where Sebastian was standing, a staircase curved up to meet a landing where the cousins would have stood to greet everyone before coming down.

“Impressive, isn’t it?”

Sebastian started and turned to see a young man in a sharp black tux standing where the guard had been.

“It’s better than I imagined.” Sebastian answered, recovering quickly.

The young man gave an understanding smile. “My name is James.” He held out a hand.

“Sebastian.”

They shook hands.

“Pleasure to meet you, Sebastian. Would you like to dance?”

Sebastian didn’t let himself think. He took James’ hand and allowed the other man to lead him out to the dance floor.

It was surprisingly easy to dance with a man. Sebastian had been worried that there would be uncertainty over who would lead or where to place their hands but there was none of that.

James had automatically taken the lead position and Sebastian had been more than happy to follow him. His knowledge of dancing was limited to the few dances he had done with his mother when he was little, before they came to the West Kingdom.

They danced for two songs and were halfway through a third when James spoke.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I am.” Sebastian answered, surprised to find that it was true.

James went to respond but before he could, a smooth voice cut in.

“Excuse me.”

They stopped dancing and turned to see who it was. There was a blonde young man in a form fitting black tux. The way he stood indicated he had army training.

“Steve.” James breathed. Sebastian glanced over and noticed that James was staring at Steve, eyes slowly raking up and down the other man. It wasn’t a lustful stare, but a concerned one. “I thought you weren’t supposed to return until next week.”

“We were blessed with good travel and returned earlier than we thought we would.”

“Thank the goddess.” James said softly.

Steve nodded before turning to Sebastian.

“If it is alright with you, might I steal him away?”

Sebastian nodded. The love between these two was obvious to anyone who looked. He wasn’t going to stand in the way of their reunion.

Steve gave him a blinding smile while James flashed him a grateful look before turning back to each other. Steve held out a hand as he gave a short bow.

“Will you do me the honor of sharing a dance with me, James?”

James blushed as he placed his hand in Steve’s. “Of course, Steve.”

The two of them wove their way through the dancers towards the center of the floor. Sebastian watched them go before turning to find someone else to dance with. He didn’t have to look very far. A strawberry blonde woman in a deep red dress who introduced herself as Pepper asked him to dance. After Pepper there were a few others who wanted to dance.

A few hours into the ball, Sebastian had to excuse himself from Steve who had come to dance with him. He was starting to feel a little too warm and needed a moment to breathe. A passing servant gave him a glass of wine and directed him to the gardens.

Stepping out into the cool night air made Sebastian realize how much of a sweat he had worked up inside. He hadn’t had this much fun in years. Sebastian couldn’t even remember the last time he had had fun. He was mostly sure that it had been before he and his mother had moved here.

Following the first path he came to, Sebastian soon found himself at a small pond. Stone benches were scattered around it, spaced far enough apart to give people privacy. He dropped onto the closet bench and stared out at the water.

While he had had fun this evening, Angie had promised that he would have just as much of a chance as everybody else. He hadn’t even seen either of the royals at all tonight. He had at least hoped to see one of them.

Lost in thought as he stared at the moon’s reflection, Sebastian didn’t hear someone approaching from behind. When they cleared their throat, he started so abruptly that he nearly lost his grip on the wine glass. It was due to his training that the glass didn’t shatter on the ground.

Turning, Sebastian just barely managed to keep his jaw from dropping when he saw King Chris standing behind him. As it was, he wasn’t sure that he managed to keep all of his surprise from showing. Thankfully, the shadows covered most of his face, preventing Chris from noticing.

“I saw you sitting here alone and I thought I would make sure that you were okay.” Chris said.

Sebastian couldn’t stop the warm feeling that sprang up in his chest. Logically, he knew that Chris would be doing the same thing for anyone. Still, it was nice to know that someone other than his mother cared about him.

“I’m fine.” He said with a small smile. “I just got hot in there from all of the dancing and decided to take a moment to breath.”

Chris smiled. “I know how you feel. No matter how many of these I attend, I always find myself needing to take a break for a few minutes.” He gestured to the spot next to Sebastian. “Do you mind if I sit?”

“Go right ahead.” Sebastian said, face burning. What was wrong with him? He should have been offering King Evans a seat the moment he realized who he was. By all rights, Sebastian should be offering to get him anything he wanted.

He made to get up but Chris stopped him.

“No, stay, please. It would be nice to have company.”

Sebastian flushed even more at being considered company, knowing he was the exact opposite, but remained seated. You didn’t deny the King what he wanted. Especially something this simple.

“Are you enjoying yourself?”

“I am. I’ve never been to a ball before.”

“I’m sorry that this is your first ball.”

“Why are you sorry?” Sebastian asked, surprised.

“Usually balls are more fun than this. But because this is a marriage ball, things are more serious.”

“So I take it you’re not enjoying yourself?”

Mentally, Sebastian smacked himself on the forehead. The trees rustled in sympathy.

“Officially, yes, I am.”

Throwing caution and good sense to the wind, which happily caught it, Sebastian asked “An unofficially?”

Chris grinned. “Unofficially, I wish I was anywhere else.”

“Anywhere?”

“Anywhere.” Chris confirmed.

“Even a meeting with your advisors?” Sebastian asked mischievously.

Chris made a face at that. “Okay, perhaps not _anywhere._ ”

Sebastian laughed. “So you don’t like official things.”

“I like some of them.” Chris defended. “I just don’t like dealing with the nobles.

“If you say so.” Sebastian teased.

Chris went to reply when he noticed Sebastian playing with his boutonniere.

“What’s that?” He asked.

Surprised, Sebastian looked down to see that he was playing with the dog rose.

“In this kingdom, you call it a Dog Rose. My mother taught me another name for it.” Sebastian answered.

“What name did she teach you?”

“She told me that it also goes by the name măceș.”

“Măceș.” Chris repeated, badly mangling the pronunciation. "I never heard that one before. What language is that?”

Sebastian started to answer but they were interrupted by the clock tower tolling. Sebastian froze. He knew it was late but he didn’t know how late it was.

"What time is it?” He asked.

"Midnight.” Chris answered.

Sebastian began to panic. He hadn’t meant to stay so late. He meant to leave early enough that he would be home by midnight when the spell wore off. He jumped up from the bench.

"I have to go.” He said quickly, already running down the path to the castle.

He barely heard Chris running after him.

"Wait!” Chris called.

Sebastian ignored him. He could already feel the hum of the magic as it started to change his clothes back. He reached the front of the castle and scanned the line of carriages. Thankfully, his was close and the footman already had the door open.

He hurried over and climbed in, urging the driver to go as soon as the door was shut. He could see Chris coming around the front of the castle and wanted to be gone before the King could order them to stop. Sebastian dreaded what would happen if Chris found out who he really was.

The carriage lurched into motion as soon as the footman was on. They pulled away from the castle just as Chris arrived, out of breath and with a dismayed look as he watched them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to get this out. Real Life has been nuts. Between getting my first full time job and all of the crazy things that have been happening, I've barely had time to write. Good news is, I have half of Chapter 5 written already so hopefully it won't be too long on that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris has a plan to find Sebastian.

Chris watched in dismay as the carriage carrying the young man he had been talking to went through the gate. He wasn’t sure that went wrong. One minute they had been talking and then the clock had struck midnight as the young man fled. Chris had chased after him, pleading with him to wait. He had been too slow and could only watch as the young man made his escape.

Realizing he had no chance of catching up, Chris dejectedly turned back to the castle.

As he walked, a flash of pink caught his attention. Bending down to examine it, Chris recognized it as the flower the young man had worn. His mind flashed back to their conversation about it.

_Chris went to reply when he noticed Sebastian playing with his boutonniere._

_“What’s that?” He asked._

_Surprised, Sebastian looked down to see that he was playing with the dog rose._

_“In this kingdom, you call it a Dog Rose. My mother taught me another name for it.” Sebastian answered._

_“What name did she teach you?”_

_“She told me that it also goes by the name_ _măceș.”_

_“_ _Măceș.” Chris repeated, badly mangling the pronounciation. "I never heard that one before. What language is that?”_

_Sebastian started to answer but they were interrupted by the clock tower tolling._

Recalling that conversation, Chris realized that he had a way to find the young man. He had barely been able to pronounce the new name his companion had taught him. He was willing to bet that few people in his kingdom even knew that the rose had another name. Let alone pronounce it. In fact, only two probably could. His companion and his companion’s mother.

A small flame of hope sprang up in Chris’ chest. He picked up the rose and cradled it close, as if he was shielding the flame of hope. Standing up, he hurried towards the castle. The night wind seemed eager to help. It blew persistently against his back, pushing him to the castle faster.

Inside, he scanned the ballroom for Ivy. He needed to tell his cousin everything that had happened tonight. He would need Ivy’s help to find the young man.

Not finding her, Chris stopped Anthony.

“Where’s Ivy?”

“She developed a headache shortly before the ball ended. Romanov took her back to her room.. She looked for you to tell you. When she couldn’t find you, she asked me to tell you that she would see you in the morning.”

Chris deflated slightly. Ivy had suffered from terrible headaches when they were children that often prevented her from leaving her room. Chris had spent many a day keeping her company by reading to her and making up stories to entertain her.

Anthony noticed the change in his mood.

“Are you okay, your Highness?”

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long night.”

Both too long and not long enough. Chris felt like the hours before he met the young man in the gardens dragged on. Then he met him and suddenly there weren’t enough hours in the day. Chris wanted more time to get to know the man who had captured his attention.

Anthony nodded sympathetically.

“I’m sure. Why don’t you go get some rest? I know Ivy wants to speak with you tomorrow morning.”

Chris brightened at that. If Ivy wanted to speak with him tomorrow, then that meant her headache wasn’t too bad.

He nodded to Anthony and turned to the stairs that would lead to his wing. As he walked, Chris would swear that the petals of the flower drooped slightly. Almost as if the flower was sad that it wasn’t going to be reunited with its owner.

Chris could emphasize. He wanted to be reunited now, but it would have to wait until morning. Until Ivy could advise him on how to go about his search.

In his room, Chris carefully set the dog rose on the small table close to his bed. The petals of the flower seemed to curve in slightly. It wasn’t much. You wouldn’t notice if you weren’t paying attention.

“I’ll find him.” Chris promised the flower.

He changed into his night clothes and crawled into bed. He wasn’t expecting to get any sleep but to his surprise, he slept soundly, not waking until the first rays of the sun crept into his room. Upon realizing that it was the sun in his eyes and that it was indeed morning, Chris shot out of his bed and over to the table.

The Dog Rose was still there. It was even more beautiful in the daylight. It had been too dark to see the night before, but the petals were actually heart shaped. He wondered if all Dog Roses had heart-shaped petals or if it was just this one. And if it was just this one, what made it so special.

Carefully gathering up the flower, Chris hurried from his room and down the halls to Ivy’s room, still in his night clothes. He barely paused to knock before bursting into the room, startling his cousin out of her sleep. Ivy sat up, blinking and rubbing her eyes.

“Who are you and what have you done with my cousin?” She asked.

“It’s me, Ivy.”

Ivy snorted. “Right. I might believe you except for the fact that the Chris I know hates waking up early and avoids it at all cost.”

Chris huffed, not able to deny the truth of her statement.

“I need your help.”

That got Ivy’s attention. She stopped rubbing her eyes and focused on him.

“My help? It must be important to bring you here this early. What do you need my help with?”

“First, how’s your headache? Anthony told me you left the ball early due to one.”

Ivy waved a hand. “I’m fine. It was just from the exhaustion of these last few weeks. It may surprise you to know, but putting together a ball is hard work.”

Chris supposed that was true. Not that he had any idea. He had never put together a ball in his life and the goddess willing, he would never have to.

“Now, what is it that you need my help with?”

“I met someone last night and I need your help finding him.” Chris answered.

Ivy pointed at the chairs next to her window.

“Sit down.”

Chris did, Ivy following him a moment later and taking the chair across from him.

“Alright, start at the beginning and tell me everything.”

Chris obeyed. He told her about taking a break after dancing for hours and going out to the garden. He said that he saw the young man sitting on one of the benches that were placed around the edge of the lake. He said that he had gone over to make sure that the young man was okay. He recounted their conversation and how it seemed like they were getting along. He finished with how the other man had panicked and fled when the clock struck midnight.

Ivy was quiet for a while after he finished. Chris knew that she was processing everything and sorting through the information to find the important things.

Finally she asked “So you don’t know his name.”

Chris shook his head.

“It never occurred to me to ask.”

Ivy raised an eyebrow but continued on.

“Was he in the receiving line?”

Chris thought back to the receiving line. He hadn’t paid much attention to the people in the line. He hated receiving lines and usually just went through the motions. He was fairly certain though, that the young man he had spent time talking with had not been in the receiving line.

“I don’t think so.”

Now Ivy was frowning.

“So if he wasn’t in the receiving line and you don’t have a name, even part of one, how do you expect me to find him?”

Chris then remembered the rose. Well, he hadn’t forgotten about it. He couldn’t forget about his only hope at finding the young man. It was more like he had pushed it back in his mind as he answered Ivy’s questions.

Remembering that Ivy was waiting for an answer, Chris cupped the rose and held it out.

“A Dog Rose?” Ivy said in surprise. “How will that help us find him?”

“We talked about it last night. He told me that his mother taught him another name for it.” Chris explained

“What name?”

Chris did his best not to mangle the pronunciation. “Măceș.”

“Măceș” Ivy repeated, pronouncing it better that he could. “That’s certainly an unusual name.”

Chris nodded. “I would be willing to bet that few people know this name.”

“So you want me to look for a young man who knows this difficult to pronounce name.”

“And when you find him, convince him to come back here.” Chris finished.

Ivy nodded, a familiar determined look in her eyes.

“I will give orders for a carriage to be made ready. As soon as breakfast is over, I will set out.”

She held out her hands. “May I have the rose?”

Chris reluctantly handed it over. He didn’t want to give up his only connection to the young man, but he knew that Ivy would need it find him.

His cousin gasped softly when he set it in her hands.

“What?” Chris asked anxiously.

“I can sense magic in the flower.”

Ivy had always been sensitive to the presence of magic. It had saved their lives more than once when they were children.

“Do you think it is his magic?”

She shook her head.

“It is old magic. Magic that has not been seen in this kingdom in centuries. Magic that is very similar to the magic that the goddess wields.

Chris met her eyes, a thousand questions in his. He could see the same in her eyes.

“What does it mean?”

Ivy shrugged. “I have no idea. But now I really want to meet the young man you met last night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I actually had this chapter finished on Friday and I was typing it up yesterday. But since I had an exhaustion headache, I stopped halfway through so that I wouldn't mess up the chapter. Chapter 6 is halfway done and it will contain Ivy's point of view. Her side of the story in the next chapter is important to make sure that we don't miss the important details.
> 
> I'll post the picture of the dog rose that I used as a reference for this chapter and the last one on my Tumblr tomorrow. I'm too tired to do it tonight.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are like pearls that I keep in my treasure chest. I suck at replying to comments but do know that I read every single one of them, often times more than once. They brighten my day and help me get through work.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week of searching, Ivy finally finds the young man her cousin asked her to find. She also learns some disturbing things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bolded OoO marks a change in POV. Detailed notes at the end.

It had been a week since the ball and life on the Redford estate hadn’t changed much.

Sebastian had just barely gotten home before the Redfords, who had been in a bad mood. Frank and Ma had burst into the house complaining about not getting to dance with the king. Apparently they had been on their way to ask him to dance when he had disappeared. He hadn’t returned before the ball ended, meaning the brothers never got their dance.

Sebastian had bitten his lip and done his best to blend in with the wall. While there was no way that they could know he had been at the ball or that he was the reason the king hadn’t returned, it wouldn’t stop them from taking their displeasure out on him. The last of the bruises from the last time they were displeased had just barely faded before the ball.

Frank and Max had sulked in their rooms for a few days before emerging, still grumpy. Thankfully they were content to ignore Sebastian which allowed him to do his chores uninterrupted.

He was tending to the Garden when Master Redford came out.

“We have an important guest coming. You are to day out here and away from our guest.”

“Yes Master Redford.” Sebastian said.

Master Redford went back inside, leaving him wondering who was coming.

**OoO**

Ivy sighed as the carriage approached the mansion. It had been a week since Chris had woken her to tell her about the young man he met at the ball. Since then, she had gone to every house in the Kingdom and asked every young man if he knew the name of the flower she had.

About half of them had been able to identify it as a Dog Rose though they did not know the other name. The name she was looking for. Which she expected. The other half hadn’t been able to identify it at all, just that it was a flower.

While Ivy hadn’t expected anything different, she was disappointed that she hadn’t found the young man she was looking for. She had hoped to find him by now.

Feeling the carriage come to a stop, Ivy took a deep breath to prepare herself for the fact that this house was likely to be a disappointment, just like all the others.

The door opened and she accepted Anthony’s hand as she stepped down. She approached the door, which swung open before Scarlett could knock, revealing a much older man with silver hair and cold eyes.

“Welcome, Your Highness. Please, come inside.”

Ivy followed Scarlett into the house and down the hall to the sitting room. She sat down in the first chair she came to, not bothering to wait for her host. He entered a moment later with two young men who looked to be close to her in age following him.

Redford sat down in the armchair by the window. The young men sat down on a couch across from her.

“Mr. Redford, are these your sons?” She asked.

Mr. Redford nodded.

“This is my oldest Frank” he indicated the muscular young man on the left, “and his brother Max.”

The thinner man on the right nodded.

“What brings you to our humble home, Princess Ivy?” Frank asked.

“You may have heard that I have been going to every house in the Kingdom.” They nodded. “Last week at the ball, King Evans met someone that he liked. Before he could ask him his name, the young man left.

“The next day, the King charged me with finding the young man though he did not have a name for me to go by.”

“How will you find him if you do not have a name?” Frank asked.

Ivy beckoned to Anthony and he stepped forward with the pillow holding the Dog Rose.

She carefully cupped it in her hands, lifted it from the pillow, and held it out to them.

“Do you know the name of this flower?”

“I am afraid I do not, Your Highness.” Frank said.

Max leaned forward to get a better look. “It’s a Dog Rose, isn’t it?”

“It is.” Ivy agreed. “However, that is not the name I am looking for.”

“I do not understand.” Robert said, speaking for the first time since the introductions.

“The young man the King tasked me with finding has a different name for this flower. It is that name I am looking for. Since you do not know the name, you are not the young man I am looking for.”

Anthony bent down to whisper in her ear.

“Your Highness, we have it on record that three young men live here.”

Ivy nodded subtly.

“Very well then. Before I go, are there any other young men living here?”

The father and sons looked at each other for a few long minutes. Long enough to tell Ivy that there was someone living here.

Finally Max said “We do have a servant. But he wasn’t at the ball. He stayed home with his mother.”

Ivy noted that the servant had a close relationship with his mother. It was possible that this was the young man she was looking for.

“I must insist on him being brought in here so that I may ask him as well.”

“Surely that’s not necessary.” Robert objected. “He was nowhere near the ball.”

“The King tasked me with questioning every young man. This way, I can be truthful when the King asks me, which he most certainly will if I do not find him.” Ivy said, managing to sound apologetic while feeling the exact opposite.

Robert gestured to Frank. The elder brother stood up and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a thin, dark haired young man wearing a dirty white tunic and pants with more holes in them than her garden following him.

Ivy internally frowned. The orphan children living in the village looked better than this young man. This young man looked as if he had never seen a decent meal in his life and if she was being honest, Ivy wouldn’t use his clothes as rags. She would burn them.

The moment he realized who was in the room, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

“How may I serve you, Your Highness?” He asked.

Ivy barely managed to keep her surprise from showing on her face. This was an old fashioned way for servants to greet someone of a higher station. One that had not been used in over a hundred years. Since before her grandfather was king.

Now, households that had servants preferred for their servants to give a short bow or curtesy before looking at the person as they asked how they could help.

Pieces of the puzzle that had begun when she first laid eyes on the eldest Redford fell into place for Ivy. The behavior of the young man and his appearance led her to believe the Redfords were not kind masters.

This would explain why he had fled at midnight and refused to stop when Chris asked him to. She just needed one final piece of the puzzle.

“You may look at me.” Ivy said.

The young man slowly looked up and wide, terrified blue eyes met hers.

“What’s your name?” She asked, taking care to keep her voice calm so as not to frighten him even more than he already was.

“Sebastian, Your Highness.” He answered, so softly that she nearly missed it.

“Sebastian, do you know what kind of flower this is?”

Ivy held out the Dog Rose. She watched as Sebastian’s eyes widened as he registered the flower.

“Măceș.” He whispered.

"What was that?”

Sebastian’s eyes widened even more, as if he was afraid he had given the wrong answer.

"A Dog Rose, Your Highness.”

"What was the first thing you said?”

“Măceș.” Sebastian answered, head lowering.

"Look at me, Sebastian.” Ivy commanded gently.

Sebastian met her eyes again.

"You were at the ball last week. You spent time talking with the King that night.”

"Yes, Your Highness.”

"I have been looking for you for over a week.”

Surprise flitted across Sebastian’s face along with something else and he finally looked at her, meeting her eyes.

"Me?” Ivy nodded.

His Highness enjoyed talking to you that night. He was upset when you left because he thought he said or did something wrong. The next day, he tasked me with finding you and asking you to come to thhe castle so that you can talk.”

"What does he want to talk to me about?” Sebastian looked ready to bolt.

"He just wants to get to know you.” Ivy soothed. Sebastian didn’t look like he believed her but he also no longer looked like he wanted to run. "Will you come back with me? I promise that if at anytime you want to leave, I will escort you to where you want to go myself.”

"I don’t want to leave my mother alone.” Sebastian said, eyes flicking briefly to the elder Redford.

Ivy caught the motion and internally frowned. The picture she had of the Redfords from earlier was becoming clearer and she didn’t like what it was showing her. If she was seeing things correctly, then Sebastian was right to worry.

"I will leave Guard Mackie here to keep her company until I return to the castle and can send a carriage for her.”

Sebastian took a deep breath before replying. "Very well then, I will go back to the castle with you.”

Ivy smiled. She was glad she had found Sebastian and convinced him to come tot he castle with her. Not just because it would make Chris happy. But because she thought it would be good for Sebastian as well. She had seen the brief flash of hope when she said that Chris wanted to talk to him. She also believed that it was in Sebastian’s best interest to get as far away from the Redford family as possible.

She stood up. "Great. Let us be on our way then. The King is waiting.”

Ivy held out her hand to Sebastian who took it after a moments hesitation.

"You can’t take him. He belongs to me.” Robert said before they could leave.

The look Ivy fixed him made him take a step back.

"I’m taking him to the castle. The King asked me to find him and bring him back if he was willing.”

"He doesn’t get an opinion. He’s just a useless servant.” Redford snarled. "The King will be disappointed with him. If he had chosen someone who was worthy of him...”

"Like who?” Ivy interrupted. "Your sons? The King does not like those who abuse their servants.”

"We have never abused him. He has always been treated well here.”

"I have eyes, Redford. I can see the fading marks on his face. Marks that are not natural.” Ivy’s voice went cold. "The King will not look kindly on you for how you have treated him. Especially with how he feels about Sebastian. If you are lucky, you will not spend the rest of your lives in the dungeons.”

With that, she turned and led Sebastian outside. Guard Johannsson was right behind them, preventing Redford from making any attempts at retaliation. Outside, Ivy turned to Guard Mackie.

"Do not let them anywhere near his mother or get rid of anything. I will send extra guards with the carriage to retrieve anything he might want to keep and to take over watching the family until the King makes a decision. Also, make sure his mother eats.” She instructed quietly.

Anthony nodded once.

Turning back, she accepted the footman’s hand and stepped into the carriage. Sebastian followed a moment later. The door was shut by Johannsson who mounted her horse to follow them back to the castle. Once everyone was settled, they were quickly on their way to the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to have this up yesterday morning. However, as I was typing it, I realized I needed to add some things that I didn't write into the original version. This chapter took a turn I wasn't expecting. I wasn't expecting Sebastian to reveal that the Redfords beat him. I don't plan on going into major detail about the abuse. Just know that he's been slapped, hit, and punched before. The tags will be updated to reflect this change.
> 
> I know it's kind of weird to have Ivy's POV in this chapter but it was necessary. Sebastian's POV would have left out some critical pieces of information. I do plan on including Sebastian's POV of this chapter at a later date. This story will become the first part of a series. One of the stories I have planned will include outtakes of things not covered, such as Sebastian's POV in this chapter.
> 
> Updates will be on temporary hiatus for the week. I signed up to be part of the Beefy Bucky Exchange on Tumblr and my gift is due this next weekend. So I will be spending the week finishing that. There's a collection started on AO3 for the stories so check it out. It's promising to be really good. Stories will be revealed next weekend in celebration of Bucky's 100th Birthday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian arrives at the castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read the end notes for information about the last few updates and a surprise for all my readers.

Sebastian was tense as he sat in the carriage across from Princess Ivy. Part of him couldn’t believe that this was real. That Chris had asked her to find him and bring him back to the castle so they could talk. The rest of him was worried that this was going to end badly. Ivy might act like it was okay that he was a servant, but it was Chris’ opinion that mattered. He was the King and he was the one who was interested in Sebastian.

If Chris wasn’t okay with him being a servant, then that was it. He could only hope that if it got to that point, that Ivy would keep her promise to escort him to wherever he wished to go.

Not that Sebastian had any idea where he would go. He had no money or anything else to his name, and no meads to support himself or his mother. The only thing he knew for certain was that they would not return to the Redfords.

Sebastian started when Ivy spoke to him and immediately focused on her.

“What’s on your mind, Sebastian? You’ve been staring off since we got in the carriage.”

“I’m sorry.” Sebastian immediately apologized, mortified that he had been ignoring her.

Ivy waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Now, why don’t you tell me what’s on your mind. Only if you want to, of course.”

Sebastian bit his lip as he thought about whether or not he wanted to tell her.

On the one hand, Ivy could just be saying things to ease his mind and prevent him from running off. Not that he would get far if he did, before the guards on their horses caught up to him and brought him back in disgrace.

On the other hand, everything about Ivy radiated concern, compassion and a willingness to listen. She didn’t seem like the type of person who would dismiss or laugh at his concerns.

As the person closest to King Chris, she was also the only one who could give him honest answers.

“Are you sure King Chris won’t care that I am a servant?” He finally asked.

Ivy sighed and settled back in her seat. “I had a feeling that was what was worrying you.” She said. “Sebastian, look at me.”

Sebastian immediately looked up and found his gaze caught and held by piercing ice blue eyes.

“I swear to you that it will not matter to King Chris that you are a servant. My cousin is not the type to concern himself with someone’s class. That is part of the reason why everyone was invited to the ball. Chris cares more about what’s inside a person than he does what’s outside.

Ivy’s intense gaze suddenly relaxed, allowing Sebastian to relax as well.

“I know it doesn’t mean much coming from me. That it will mean more when you hear it from Chris. But trust that I know my cousin.” Sebastian nodded. “Besides, if you had seen Chris the morning after the ball when he was begging me to find you, you would not doubt that Chris wants to get to know you.”

Sebastian thought about that the rest of the ride back to the castle. While part of him still doubted that Chris would want anything to do with him when he realized the truth, the majority of him decided to believe Ivy.

At the very least, he believed that Ivy would keep her promise to escort him wherever he wanted to go if Chris did end up wanting nothing to do with him.

The carriage came to a stop and one of the guards opened the door to offer Ivy a hand down. Sebastian exited a moment later and had to blink rapidly to adjust to the bright sunlight.

When he could see again, Sebastian found himself staring up at the castle in awe. It was more inspiring in the daylight and he could see things he had missed when he had attended the ball.

There were many stained glass windows scattered about the castle. The paths around the castle were carefully lined with flowers.

“Our ancestors were very concerned with making sure the castle was visually appealing to everyone. Something about a visually appealing castle making people feel more comfortable about approaching the royals.” Ivy said. “Every generating contributes something to the appearance.”

“What are you and Chris contributing?” Sebastian asked, following her into the castle.

“A mosaic that will be placed in the floor of the throne room. It is scheduled to be completed next spring when Chris leaves on his trip to assess any damage that occurred during the winter.”

“What is the mosaic of?”

“This founding of our kingdom. It is a story that has always been told, but never illustrated. Chris and I thought it would be good to finally have something that represented our history.”

They walked down a hall covered in tapestries. Each tapestry featured a person wearing a crown. Surrounding the person were small scenes.

Sebastian stepped closer to examine one. The person featured was a man who looked similar to Chris.

“Those are life tapestries. They tell about the important moments in a person’s life. Every ruler and heir to the throne has one. That one there is King Robert, Chris’ father.”

Sebastian’s eyes lingered briefly on the scene depicting King Robert’s death before quickly turning back to Ivy.

“So do you and Chris have one?”

Ivy nodded.

“We do. However, they have been taken to be added to. Now, if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

Sebastian followed her down the hall and around a few corners before coming to a stop outside a door that looked the same as every other door in the hall.

Ivy pushed open the door and stepped back to let him enter. He did so hesitantly, not knowing what to expect but not expecting what he found.

The room he entered was a bedroom. It was bigger than the attic room he had shared with his mother back at the Redford Estate. Sebastian was fairly certain that it was larger than Master Redford’s bedroom. No, his former master. Robert no longer had any form of control over Sebastian.

A large bed was situated against the far wall between two large windows. Chairs and tables were placed under windows and around the room. There was a large Chifforobe to the left of the bed. Two doors on either side of the room led to other rooms that Sebastian could not guess the function of.

He didn’t hear Ivy enter the room, but jumped when she spoke from just behind him.

“This will be your room. The door to your left leads to your parlor, where you may take your meals if you do not wish to dine with the others. The other door leads to your study.”

Sebastian had to force himself not to let his mouth hang open. This was more than he had been expecting.

“I’ll send the carriage for your mother and your belongings. I shall have the servants set your mother up in a suite of rooms just down the hall from you. They shall drop your belongings off here in your room. If there is anything that is yours that is not in your room, write down where it is and what it is. The guards will bring it when they bring your mother.”

Sebastian nodded, looking overwhelmed by everything. Ivy noticed and smiled kindly.

“Why don’t I leave you to get settled in? I’ll send a servant by in about ten minutes to collect your list, if you have one. If you need assistance at any time, just pull the rope over by your bed.” Sebastian glanced over and saw that there was indeed a bell rope for summoning servants.

“If it is alright with you, I would like you to join me for supper tonight. Do you have any restrictions or requests for supper?”

Sebastian shook his head.

“Very well. I shall send a servant for you at supper time so that you may join me.”

Ivy left and Sebastian was finally alone to process everything. The first thing he did was locate some parchment and a quill to write his list of things for the guards to bring back. He made sure to explain exactly how to find some of the items that he had carefully hidden from the Redfords.

When the servant came, he gave him the parchment before going to lie down and rest.

Sebastian was awoken an hour alter when the same servant knocked on his door to inform him that his mother was here. He followed the servant a short distance down the hall to her room. He was happy to see his mother up and exploring the room.

They sat down and he explained the events of the morning. Everything from the moment their former master had told him to stay outside, to the Princess asking him the name of the flower she had brought with her, to being brought here to the castle. He also invited her to have supper with him and the Princess that night.

She declined the invitation to have supper with them, telling him to enjoy himself and not worry about her.

When supper time arrived, Sebastian somewhat reluctantly allows the servant to lead him to Ivy’s rooms. One of the guards who had been present at the manor was standing outside the room.

He smiled kindly at Sebastian. “You must be Sebastian. I’m Anthony Mackie, one of Princess Ivy’s guards.”

“Nice to meet you.” Sebastian said, feeling more at ease. Guard Mackie had a calm air about him that made Sebastian feel less jumpy.

Mackie knocked on the door and announced Sebastian’s presence. Barely a moment later, Ivy bid him to enter and Anthony opened the door.

The layout of Ivy’s rooms was similar to his. At least the parlor was. She had chairs next to the windows with a small table in between. The curtains were drawn over the windows to the west though the windows to the north were uncovered. Ivy was standing in the middle of the room.

“Right this way Sebastian. I had the servants bring supper here to the parlor.” She indicated a table against the wall laden with food. She gestured for him to help himself so he hesitantly stepped forward and served himself from the choices. Ivy came behind and served herself a plate before heading to the table under the uncovered window.

Sebastian followed and set his supper down across from her before sitting himself down.

“Have you settled in?” Ivy asked.

“I have.” Sebastian answered, feeling that he had settled in as much as he could.

“What about your mother? Is she settling in as well?”

A small smile touched Sebastian’s lips as he thought of his mother and remembered how she had been exploring her new rooms.

“She’s settling in nicely. She was exploring her rooms when I was shown in and she seemed to be doing better than she has in a while.”

“Good.” Ivy said.

They continued to make small talk for the rest of supper and while the servants cleared everything away. Then Ivy got down to what she wanted to say.

“Unfortunately, King Chris is not here right now. He left two days ago to investigate reports that we were receiving about bandits terrorizing Harper Town up north by the forest. He thought he would be back today but they caught and arrested some of the bandits earlier today, so they won’t be back until tomorrow.

Sebastian took a moment to process that. Harper town was known for being terrorized regularly by bandits. It had gotten to the point that those who lived in the town were always warning visitors not to go to Harper Town. Sebastian was proud of Chris for catching and arresting some of the bandits, but he was also worried that the other bandits might attack them to seek revenge or to get their fellow bandits back. He told himself that he was only worried because if something happened to the King, it would throw the whole kingdom into chaos. He refused to let himself think of any other reasons why he would be worried.

His worry must have shown on his face because Ivy hurried to reassure him.

“Chris will be fine. He has some of the best guards with him. They know to be on the lookout for the other bandits to attempt something as they return to the castle. Chris sent a messenger ahead to say that they expected to be back by late morning tomorrow.”

Sebastian could feel the panic rising in him again at that. The chair reacted in alarm and he sank back into its comforting embrace.

He hadn’t expected the King to return so soon. Part of Sebastian knew he was being unreasonable. He had spent the carriage ride to the castle thinking that he would be seeing the King that day. But when Ivy had said that they arrested some of the bandits in Harper Town, he had thought for a moment that he would have a few days to prepare to meet Chris.

“Sebastian.”

He forced himself to look at Ivy.

“I have a plan. I’m not going to immediately introduce you to him. What I’ll do is have him come here to my parlor and when he arrives, I’ll distract him by asking about Harper Town. I plan on having you in the room, but not immediately visible. That will give you a chance to see him, see what he’s like, and prepare yourself to meet him. Then, when he asks about you, I’ll direct his attention to where you are. Does that sound alright to you?”

Sebastian took a moment to think it over before nodding.

“Good. I’ll have breakfast delivered to your parlor tomorrow morning and send a servant for you shortly before my cousin returns to the castle. For now though, you should probably return to your room and try to get some sleep.”

Ivy summoned a servant to lead him back to his room. Sebastian bade her good night as he left and followed the servant down the hall.

In his room, Sebastian changed into his night clothes and crawled into bed. Despite thinking that his worry about the next day would keep him from sleeping, Sebastian was out the moment his head touched the pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, first off, I'm sorry it's been over a month since I've updated. I started my first full time job and March was busy with trainings and learning everything I will have to do for my job. Then I came up with an idea for another EvanStan story, which we'll get to in a moment.  
> I am almost done writing the last few chapters. I have the next chapter done, it just needs typed up. The problem is, I don't think I'll be able to post it tomorrow. I have to work late for my full time job. I will try my hardest to get it done, but I make no promises. If it's not up tomorrow, then it will definitely be up on Wednesday. Chapter 9 is almost done and then there's just the epilogue. I hope to have finished writing those by Wednesday at the latest.
> 
> Now on to my surprise.
> 
> I mentioned that I came up with an idea for a new EvanStan story. It is an ABO story that will start when they first meet and continue through their life. It will include things such as them getting married and having kids [again, ABO so that means MPREG will be featured in the story.]  
> I want to include as many real elements of things such as getting married as I can. Which is where you guys come in. I need characters to fill spots such as the Wedding Planner, Caterer, Officiant, etc. You can create those characters. You will have the opportunity to submit information about your character and have them featured in the story. Obviously, not everyone will get equal time. Some characters will only have minor appearances while others will have bigger roles.
> 
> Now, before you start bombarding me with questions and trying to submit character information, I will have more details posted on my Tumblr tomorrow. I'm still ironing out all of the details regarding the characters needed and deciding how my appearance time they will each get. So if you're interested, make sure you check out my Tumblr for more information. I can be found on Tumblr as RavenclawWitch18.
> 
> I'm hoping you guys are interested in participating. I'm doing this story with or without your participation, but I would love for all of you to be part of it.  
> More to come soon.


	8. Chapter 8

Out of habit, Sebastian woke with the sun the next morning. For a few minutes, he was confused to find himself in an unfamiliar room.

Before the panic had time to set in, the events of the previous day came back to him. He remembered Princess Ivy bringing him to the castle to meet King Chris who was not there. Sebastian had learned after supper with Ivy that Chris would be back today. She had instructed him to get some rest and promised to have breakfast delivered in the morning.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door that led from Sebastian’s room to the parlor.

“Come in.” Sebastian called.

The door opened to reveal the young man who had shown Sebastian around yesterday.

“Good morning, sir.” He said with a short bow. “Your breakfast is waiting for you in the parlor whenever you are ready.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I get dressed.”

The servant gave a respectful nod before turning and going back to the parlor.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Sebastian got up and got ready for the day. He made the bed before going to the trunk at the foot. Opening it, Sebastian was pleased to see that all of his clothes were there. He selected his best undershirt, tunic, and pants and dressed in them before going to the parlor.

The servant was there checking the food to make sure it was warm.

“Would you like me to serve you, sir, or would you prefer to serve yourself?” He asked.

“I’ll serve myself.” Sebastian said, deciding that it would be too weird to have a servant serve him. “And please, call me Sebastian. There’s no need to call me sir when I am a servant as well.”

“Then you must call me Aaron.” The servant said. “Now, go ahead and eat your breakfast while it’s warm. And if you like, I’ll tell you about life inside the castle so you have an idea of what to expect should you choose to stay.

Sebastian nodded eagerly and hurried to serve himself.

Aaron told him about the palace life and what their Majesties had been like as children. He learned that while Chris was a brilliant tactician, Ivy was usually the brains behind most of the things that happened. Though Chris was the King, they both made decisions together. Very few things happened without the approval of both royals.

This made Sebastian feel a little bit better. He knew that Ivy approved of him. She wouldn’t have brought him here and come up with a plan to slowly introduce him to Chris if she didn’t.

When Sebastian was finished with breakfast, Aaron cleared everything away and told him that he would be back in a few hours to take Sebastian to Ivy.

Having nothing else to do, Sebastian went down the hall to check on his mother. He was happy to see that she was still doing well and that she had slept soundly the night before. She inquired after his plans for the day and with a little prodding, Sebastian told her that Ivy was going to introduce him to the King later that morning.

Georgetta was happy for him. She told him to just be himself and reminded him that being himself was what caught the King’s attention the first time.

All too soon, Aaron was back and leading him to Ivy’s room. Anthony was standing guard outside again and told Sebastian to go right in.

Ivy spun around when he entered, her lavender dress billowing out as she moved.

“Good morning Sebastian. Did you sleep well?”

“I did.” Sebastian admitted.

Ivy smiled. “Good. I received word from the guards that Chris has entered the city. That was ten minutes ago so I suspect he’s already here. Which means that he’ll be on his way up here, to my room. He always finds me to inform me in detail how his trip went.”

“So what do you want me to do?” Sebastian asked, nerves rapidly making their reappearance.

“I have a chair over there by the Chifforobe.” Ivy said, indicating a spot slightly behind him.

Sebastian turned to see that there was indeed a chair against the right wall next to the Chifforobe.

“I was thinking that you could sit there, observe Chris, and prepare yourself to meet him. And when he asks how my search for you is going, I’ll direct his attention to you.”

Sebastian thought that the plan had a good chance of working. It would allow him to see how Chris acted in private with someone who was close to him. And it would allow him to see how Chris acted when he inquired about Ivy’s search. If Chris truly cared about finding him, then it would show when he asked.

Taking a deep breath, Sebastian nodded once before going and sitting in the chair.

Ivy sat in one of the chairs by the west window, where the sun was starting to shine through. She slipped off her shoes, tucked her feet up under her dress, and picked up a book. She had just barely settled into read when there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.” Ivy called distractedly.

The door opened and King Chris strode in. He had changed out of his dusty travel clothes and into a simple blue tunic and a pair of brown pants.

When Chris was standing over her, Ivy finally looked up from her book.

“How was your trip?”

Sebastian had to admire her acting skills. Ivy wasn’t giving anything away.

“Fine. We ended up catching three of the bandits. There are more, but we won’t be catching them any time soon.” Chris answered, sitting down in the chair across from Ivy with his back to Sebastian. Ivy put down her book.

“You think that the rest of them fled into the forest?”

“If they know what’s good for them.” Chris answered. “I’m hoping that I can convince the bandits we caught to tell us where the others are likely to be hiding. Unless I’m mistaken, there were children in with the group.”

Ivy frowned at that. “It makes me wonder if things are alright in the other kingdoms. Bandit groups don’t usually include children unless they’re fleeing from a village.”

Chris frowned as well. “You’re right. Would you mind making some inquiries and see if you can find anything out.”

“I will. In the meantime do nothing with the prisoners. If they truly are refugees, then they won’t react kindly to being treated as prisoners. And if they are bandits, treating them kindly may throw them off.

“They will be treated well.” Chris assures her.

“Now, tell me about your search. Did you have any luck?” Ivy glanced over his shoulder under the pretense of thinking about her search. Really, she was looking at Sebastian and seeing if he was ready to meet Chris.

Sebastian gave a tiny nod in response. Ivy turned back to her cousin.

“Why don’t you tell me?” She said, nodding at Sebastian.

In the brief moment it took Chris to turn around, Sebastian braced himself for whatever response he might get.

Their eyes met.

Confusion was the first thing Sebastian saw, which he expected. The confusion rapidly disappeared and was replaced by surprise. Sebastian guessed it was from seeing him sitting there. He also thought he saw nervousness hiding in the depths of the blue eyes but he immediately dismissed it. What did the King have to be nervous about?

“It’s you.” Chris whispered before getting control of himself.

“Welcome to the castle. I am Chris Evans, the King.”

Sebastian stood and bowed.

“My name is Sebastian Stan, Your Majesty.”

Please, call me Chris.” Chris insisted, not wanting Sebastian to think he was someone who always insisted on formalities.

“Chris.” Sebastian said, testing the name out.

He could hardly believe he was being given permission to call the King by his name.

“Would you like to take a walk with me?” Chris offered eager to have Sebastian to himself. “It would give us a chance to talk in private.”

Sebastian hesitated for a moment, not sure if he wanted to be alone with the King. After thinking about it, he decided to accept.

“It would be my honor to take walk with you, Chris.”

Chris gave him a bright smile that Sebastian found himself returning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long to update. Things are picking up with work again and I've been having some family issues. The good news is, I do have the last two chapters written. I literally just have to type them up. I do have the day off work tomorrow so I'll be finishing that up. Look for the last two chapters tomorrow and Sunday.


	9. Chapter 9

Chris was extremely nervous as he led Sebastian through the castle and out into the garden. He couldn’t help it. Part of him feared that Sebastian would flee from him again. Chris wasn’t sure his heart would be able to handle it a second time.

Of course, he knew Sebastian’s name but if Sebastian fled a second time, Chris would take that as a sign that Sebastian wanted nothing to do with him. As hard as it would be, he wouldn’t ask Ivy to track Sebastian down a second time.

Chris was brought out of his thoughts when Sebastian broke the silence they had been walking in.

“You said you wanted to talk to me?”

“I did. I-I mean I do…I-” Chris stammered.

He forced himself to take a deep breath before continuing.

“Yes, I would like to talk with you. But only if you want to.”

“I wouldn’t have come out here if I didn’t want to talk.” Sebastian pointed out.

“Right. Did you enjoy yourself at the ball last week?”

Chris saw Sebastian dart a look at him out of the corner of his eye.

“I enjoyed myself. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time.” He admitted. “What about you?”

“I had a lot more fun than I thought I would.”

“Do you usually not have fun at balls?”

Without even thinking about it, Chris led them down a path that would run right behind the bench they had first met on.

“Not normally. Before, balls were something where I would have to play nice with the Lords in order to keep them happy”

“So what made this ball different?” Sebastian asked.

It was Chris’ turn to look at him, thinking that Sebastian was teasing or something. He found the other man looking directly at him. There was nothing but honest curiosity in his gaze.

Chris was thrown by it and wondered if Sebastian was truly unaware of the fact that he was the only bright spot of that entire night for Chris.

“I met someone that night.” He admitted. “Someone who I would like to get to know better, if they’ll let me.”

By this point, they had reached the bench by the pond where they had first met. Sebastian still hadn’t said anything. He was staring out over the water, watching as a mother duck swam with her babies.

“You know it’s you I’m talking about, right?” Chris asked.

Sebastian slowly turned to face him. There was something hidden in the depths of those summer blue eyes but Chris couldn’t put a name to it.

“Part of me hoped it was. But the rest of me wished it wasn’t.” Sebastian said.

Chris felt his heart crack at that.

“Why?” He asked.

Sebastian said nothing.

“Did I do something wrong? Did I upset you somehow?”

Sebastian shook his head. “You did nothing wrong. On the contrary, you were a perfect gentleman that night.”

“Then what is it? What made you flee from me that night?”

“Me. I was the problem.”

“You?” Chris was confused.

He couldn’t think what about Sebastian could possibly be a big enough problem to cause him to flee. They hadn’t had any thieves or murderers roaming the kingdom lately and those were the only things he could think of that would disgust him about Sebastian. Everything else they could work through, provided Sebastian wanted to.

“If you knew the truth about me, you wouldn’t want anything to do with me.”

“I would.” Chris swore.

The look Sebastian gave him said he thought differently.

“I am a servant.” He said.

Chris waited for the rest of it. When Sebastian remained silent he realized that was it. His first instinct was to ask ‘Is that it?’ Then logic caught up and he realized that to Sebastian, being a servant was a big deal. Chris knew he had a tendency to ignore people’s class as if it didn’t matter. To him, it didn’t. He always forgot that outside of the castle, things like class did matter.

“Sebastian.”

The other man looked up.

“It doesn’t matter to me that you are a servant. I enjoyed talking with you at the ball and I wanted to get to know more about you. I still do.”

“How?” Sebastian asked.

“How what?”

“How can you still want to get to know me even after you’ve learned the truth?”

“My parents raised me to not care about people’s class. What class a person is may affect how they behave on the outside, but it doesn’t always affect who they are on the inside. That is what matters. Anyone can behave a certain way where others can see, but no two people are the same on the inside.”

Sebastian stared at him after he finished his short little speech. There was surprise in his blue eyes, as if he hadn’t been expecting a speech. Ivy always said that his speeches were something very few people expected from him. They expected his speeches to be filled with more flowery language and quotes from authors. They didn’t expect a passionate speech that demonstrated how much he cared.

As Chris watched, Sebastian went through different emotions. First was the surprise, followed almost immediately by disbelief. Then came the confusion as he tried to sort through what Chris had said.

What Chris didn’t expect was for Sebastian to shut down after that. A shutter closed behind his eyes, carefully blocking out his emotions. He turned away from Chris slightly so that they were no longer directly face-to-face.

“You say that now, but what about later? Will you still think that when your Lords find out the truth about me? You might not care that I am a servant, but I’m sure they will. I cannot believe that they will be very happy about it.”

“It still won’t matter. Not to me.” Chris said. “If I cared about what they thought, then I never would have agreed to the ball. I would have picked one of their daughters and we would be engaged by now.”

Sebastian stared at him for a long minute before slowly shaking his head.

“I wish I could believe you. I really do. But I just can’t take that kind of risk. I’m sorry.”

Sebastian stood up and began to walk back to the castle. Chris stared after him, desperately wracking his brain for something that would make Sebastian stay.

“Let me prove it to you.” He called after him.

For a minute, he thought Sebastian wasn’t going to stop. Then to his relief, the other man did. Though he did not turn to look at Chris.

Chris walked up behind him.

“Sebastian, look at me. Please?”

Slowly, Sebastian turned to face him. He refused to look at Chris, instead keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the ground between them.

Chris didn’t push it. He knew he was lucky Sebastian had decided to stop and had turned to face him.

“Let me prove it to you.” Chris repeated in a much gentler tone.

Sebastian opened and closed his mouth several times before stopping. Chris waited patiently for Sebastian to gather his thoughts. Finally, Sebastian spoke.

“How will you prove it to me?” He asked softly.

“However you want me to.” Chris answered. “If you want me to summon all of the Lords immediately and tell them, I will. If you want me to keep it a secret, telling no one, not even Ivy, I will. For as long as you want me to.”

“You would keep it a secret from Ivy?” Sebastian asked in surprise.

“I would, if that would make you happy.” Chris declared. “And if you would permit me to do so, I would like to court you.”

“Court me?” Sebastian breathed. “How?”

“I would take you on walks, both around the castle grounds and through the village. I would spoil you with many gifts, from wild flowers, to little trinkets, to expensive things. Most importantly, I would like to talk with you and learn more about you.”

Sebastian thought about it for a long time. The wind, the trees, and even the ducks seemed to be hold their breath along with Chris as they waited for an answer.

Finally Sebastian said “I would like that.”

Chris gave him a gentle smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just the epilogue left. Then I'm going to be taking the week to work on stories for an upcoming Steve/Bucky/TJ series I have planned. It involves lots of porn. Literally. Each chapter is based off a kink. I also plan on doing an EvanStan story based off the same list but that won't be for at least a month.
> 
> Please leave a comment. Or kudos if you can. They brighten my day and I'm going to need it tomorrow. I have an eight and a half hour shift at my job that I hate but can't quit for another few months. Your comments will give me something to look forward to and remember when my supervisor starts telling me all the ways in which I screw up.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first EvanStan story. I've written fairytale AUs before but this is the first time I have posted one. I don't think this is going to be a long story, five chapters at most. There might be a sixth chapter, it will depend on how well people like this. I'm not 100% confident of this chapter but I can't think of a way to make it better. If you guys have any suggestions, feel free to comment them. 
> 
> Also, I know some things in this chapter seem a little out of context but I have my reasoning behind it. I do plan to post my world building notes to my Tumblr, but I have to get it set up first. I'll post a link just as soon as its ready.
> 
> Comments, especially constructive criticism, are greatly appreciated. Flames will just be laughed at and then shown to my friend who will laugh as well.
> 
> Expect chapter 2 in the next few days.


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